WAIT WHAT CAGE !
1269 Words
Ughh… my brain was a fuckin’ cement mixer.
I blinked once nope twice actually.
The lights above me were flickering like they were powered by regret. I groaned and sat up, only to realize.... oh, come on, was I in a damn cage?
A real, actual cage after fighting that monster the least they could do was give me a nice bed but nope.
No mattress or even a pillow. Just cold concrete and rusted iron bars like I’d just been tossed into a zoo for mentally unstable badasses.
I rubbed the back of my neck, wincing. My entire body felt like I had been hit by a truck, then dragged fifty miles by its tires. Every inch of me screamed from that fight with Natalya. That man fought like a demon with rabies. Pretty sure I saw Satan tapping out in the corner halfway through.
But… I won. Didn’t I?
That flash of the crowd screaming, the blood in my mouth, the sound of his body hitting the ground… then everything went black.
Now, here I was. Caged like an animal, dehydrated, starved, sore and wait a minute holy s**t, is that food am seeing right now ?
A hand shoved a tray under the bars, and the smell hit me like a slap of heaven.
Rice. Stew. Actual protein. God bless whatever psychopath made this.
I didn’t wait for pleasantries. I ate like a wild beast, shoving food into my mouth like the world was ending in five minutes. Probably looked like a gremlin, but who cared? I earned this damn meal. I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, groaning in satisfaction.
Then the door opened.
Just like that.. you know the way you see it in movies but the difference here was that yeah there's no dramatic music, No speech, Just a guy with a buzzcut and zero emotions saying, “You’re up. The Boss wants a word.”
My spoon froze halfway to my mouth, just when I taught I could have a normal digestion.
“Uh… The Boss?” I asked, voice cracking just a bit. Just a tiny bit....Okay, a lot not gonna lie.
He didn’t answer. Just nodded toward the hallway like, Get your s**t together, kid.
I swallowed hard and got up slowly. My legs were still shaking, my knees threatening to betray me with every step. But I walked Or limped. Or whatever weird-ass crawl-walk I did.
We passed iron doors, flickering lights, the stench of sweat and blood sticking to the walls like perfume. I felt like a sacrifice being led to the altar.
And then they stopped.
The guy pointed to a large black door with golden edges. He didn’t say a word. Just knocked twice, opened it, and shoved me in.
And there he was.
Boris.
Holy Shit...!
I knew the name. Everybody in this goddamn underworld knew the name, The man who didn’t blink when ordering whole families wiped out. The man who could slice your throat and still ask for tea politely.
Boris sat like a king on a wide leather chair, a glass of red wine in one hand, eyes darker than sin itself.
“You,” he said, voice like thunder having a conversation with gravel. “You beat Natalya.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out just the small soul remaining in me left without permission..
He narrowed his eyes. “Speak.”
I cleared my throat. “Y-yeah. I mean… I think so. Unless he’s back up doing somersaults while I was passed out.”
He didn’t laugh. Not even a twitch.
Okay....So, no jokes. Got it, you don't have to rub it on my face.
“Sit.”
I dropped into the seat across from him like gravity betrayed me. I swear my knees were trembling so hard, I was sure he could hear them. But I didn’t look away, Hell no. If I was gonna die here, at least I’d stare my executioner in the eye.
He studied me like I was some weird-ass insect he wasn’t sure whether to squash or frame.
“You have spirit,” he finally said. “But you are small.”
“…Thanks?” I muttered, eyebrows twitching, I wasn't sure what to say.
“You have rage,” he added. “But rage alone doesn’t keep you alive.”
“Worked fine so far,” I said before my brain could stop my mouth.
His brow lifted.
oh oh now am in trouble.
“You’re funny,” he said. “I’ll give you that. But funny doesn’t last long down here.”
I swallowed hard. “So… am I dead?”
“No,” he said simply, leaning back. “You’re being reassigned. Welcome to the base system.”
“Reassigned?” I said blinking my eyes to make sure this was real.
“To Base Two.”
I stiffened. I’d heard of the base system. Tiered training grounds run like hell’s dormitories. People go in. Some come out. Some don’t. Base Two was for… unstable recruits. Aggressive ones. Survivors. Monsters in training.
I wasn’t sure which one I was.
He stood. “You’ll meet the others. And your room partner. He goes by ‘The Shadow.’ If you survive a week, we’ll talk again.”
“If?”
He gave me a cold smile. “Welcome to hell.”
BASE TWO
Everything about Base Two screamed shut up and bleed quietly.
Dim-lit tunnels, echoing steel doors, faint yells in the distance that may or may not have been human but am definitely sure it's human.
They led me to a long hallway and pointed toward a cell. Yeah. They called it a “room,” but let’s be real... what am looking at right now was as a f*****g cell.
The door creaked open, and I stepped inside.
Then froze.
A figure was crouched by the wall, sharpening what looked like a homemade blade. His face was mostly covered by his hood, his eyes dark and unreadable maybe he just came back from a fight or something.
“Uh… hi?” I said like a dumbass that I am.
He didn’t look up. “You’re the kid who beat Natalya.”
“…Wow. News travels fast.” now everybody calls me kid great.
He looked up finally, those eyes pinning me like I was some new toy.
“They call me Shadow,” he said, voice low. “You snore, I break your nose. You touch my blade, I slice your fingers. You eat my food…”
“I get it. I die,” I muttered. “Chill, bro. I just got here.”
He smirked but not much Just slightly.
“You talk too much,” he added.
“You glare too much.” I said staring him daggers.
There was a pause.
Then he chuckled. Actually chuckled.
“Well,” he said, stretching out his legs, “this might not be boring after all.”
I dropped onto the opposite cot, my body aching like hell.
Shadow eyed me again. “You don’t look like much.”
“You sound like everyone who ended up on their back after fighting me.”
He smiled wider. “We’ll see how long you last.”
And me?
I didn’t smile or I didn’t move. I stared at the ceiling and whispered under my breath.
i muttered , “Bring it the f**k on.” but I was not audible enough ... yeah I need to get a good sleep before I at least die right ..?
- Writer
